Thread guide pressure regulator



Jan, 5, 1954 w. H. SHONTZ THREAD GUIDE PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed June 22, 1950 INVENTOR. WILL/AM H. SHONTZ ATTORNEX Patented Jan. 5, 1954 THREAD GUIDE PRESSURE REGULATOR William H. Shontz, Lewistown, Pa., assignor to American Viscose Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application June 22, 1950, Serial No. 169,616

This invention relates to winding machines-of the type having a reciprocable strand-guide in contact with a strand package being wound and particularly to a device for controlling and stabilizing the pressure of the guide on the package. The present invention is particularly directed to winding machines of the type generally disclosed in the United States Patent No. 801,941 to Wardwell, wherein the yarn is wound upon a supporting element, such as a core mounted upon a rotating spindle, the yarn being traversed longitudinally of the core by a thread-guide which bears against the surface of the winding and swings away from the spindle as the wound package increases in size. In a machine of this type, the guide is supported on a traverse frame which may pivot on an axis approximately parallel to the winding axis. An arcuate member constituting a portion of the stop motion of the machine is mounted independently of the traverse frame in approximately radial relationship with the pivot axis thereof. A friction element commonly referred to as a dog which is swingably supported from the traverse frame on an axis parallel to the frame axis slidably engages a surface of the friction member, generally arcuate, mounted on a stationary portion of the machine. A spring mounted on the frame urges the dog against the arcuate member at prede-.

termined pressure.

In the operation of the machine, the normal or desired behavior of the thread guide is such that as the package increases in diameter, the thread guide is moved in a radial direction outwardly from the winding axis by frequent instantaneous.

en agements of slightly raised portions in the outer surface of the rotating package. The movement of the guide in response to package growth is not continuous but is intermittent with the guide bein held from returning in a direction toward the winding axis by frictional contact of the dog with the arcuate member. It frequently happens that oil and grease reduces the friction between the dog and the arcuate member to the extent that the thread guide is substantially supported with respect to the winding axis by the surface of the package being built on the winding spindle, rather than by the friction device. Consequently, the yarn is excessively stressed, or the guide bounces or vibrates against the package as the result of engagement with the normally slightly uneven surface of the package. Thus, insufficient snubbing action between the members may result in packages which are wound too tightly, a condition which may be indicated by package ends of bulg- 7 Claims (Cl. 24218) ing' contour.

2 Moreover; if the thread-guideand the portion of the frame onwhichit is supported are permittedto vibrate as the result of the guide bumping against the package, the machine is subjected to excessive wear and sections of the yarn laid on the package are strained (and oc-- casionally broken) to such an extent as to reduce the quality of the yarn and the package.

It is anobject of the present invention to provide a machine for winding annular packages in which movement of a reciprocating thread-guide toward the winding axis is prevented Without increasing the pressure of the guide on the package. It is another object to obtain more uniform control of the pressure with which the strand delivery guide engages a package being wound to thereby control the tension of the strand being wound on the package, and to thus promote the formation of packages of desired shape. Still another object is to eliminate vibration or bumping of the thread-guide against the package so as to avoid the production of strained sections in the strand and excessive wear on the machine. Other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the invention and the drawing relating thereto in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary pictorial view of a section of a winding machine into which an embodiment of the invention is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in section of elements included in the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 3; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary pictorial view of a winding machine similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 showing another embodiment of the invention.

According to the present invention, a winding machine having a pivotable traverse frame for su porting a reciprocating strand-guide is constructed or equipped so that the pressure of contact between friction elements of a device for arrestin the movement of the strand-guide and the frame toward the winding spindle may be increased without increasing the force required to move the strand-guide and the frame in a direction away from the spindle. For example, in a conventional winding machine such as mentioned hereinabove, pressure of the friction element known as a dog on the grooved surface of an element known as the dog segment, may be increased without increasing the pressure of the reciprocating guide on the package being wound.

Referring to Fig. l, a traverse frame 5 is pivotably supported coaxially about a cam shaft l on an extension of a housing 8 or cam shaft bearing mounted therein (not shown). A cam (not shown) is mounted on the shaft within the housing 8 for the purpose of reciprocating a thread-guide I along a track or groove I I of the upper section [2 of the frame 5. The track H is aligned so that the thread-guide ill will reciprocate in a direction which is parallel to the surface of a package core l5 supported on a spindle It by a holder IS. The traverse frame 5 and the thread-guide l0, however, swing about the axis of shaft I. The force produced by the counterweight section of the .frame urges the guide against the surface of a package being wound on the core I5. However, :as the package grows, the guide l0, Whichrecipro'ca'tes longitudinally of the package, moves also in a direction extending away from the axis of thespindle l6 and causes the frame 5 to pivot about the axis of the shaft 1.

The thread-guide is prevented from moving in a direction toward the-winding-axis during 010- era'tion by abraking-crsnubbingmechanism-cons'ist'in'g-of a "dog '24 swingably supported "rror'n'th'e frame 5 in frictional contact with "an arcuate segment '25 such as shownin greater detail in Fig. 2. The undersurface of the segment takes the form of a groove which confines "the dog 24 to movement therewithin. The segment 'is pivotably secured to theh'ousing or frame 8'by a bolt 25, and on the conventional winding machine is a part of an automatic stopping mechanism which need not be described with reference to'the present invention. The dog 24 is supported at a distance from the axis about which it swings which is longer than the shortest distance 'between the axis and the segment surface which it engages. Consequently, the dog 24 extends toward and engages the segment 25 at an angle less than a right angle and when force is applied to the guide [0 or the frame 5 tending to rotatethe frame on its axis in a direction such as counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 1, the dog 24 tends to jam within the grooved surface of the segment 25 which it engages. The effect of such an arrangement is to .permit the dog to move more freely with relation to the segment in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 2 than in the opposite direction. Consequently, the frame '5 during a winding operation, pivots readily to carry the guide In away from the package being wound but when the dog and the segment .arein efficient frictional engagement, the frame is retrained from pivoting in the opposite direction.

The dog 24 is supported in abutting relationship on a lever 27 by acoupling 2B. The lever 21 is secured to a rod 30 which is rotatable on an .axis substantially parallel with the axis of shaft 1. The lever '21, if desired, may be constructed as an extension of the rod .39.. A lever 32 is secured to the end portion of the .rod 30 extending through the frame bearing 33. Thelever 32 supports a spring 35 which engages a detent 3B fixed to portion l2 of the frame 5 .for the purpose .of urging the dog 24 into resilient engagement with the segment v25. The pressure of engagement determines the force required to move orswing the frame so that the "guide 10 is carried away from theaxis-of spindle I 6. Ifthis pressure is too little,

the guide is not prevented from swinging toward.

the winding (spindle axis against the package being wound. .In this situation, the guide 10 tends to follow or register irregularitiesin the generally annular surface of the package. Consequently, the guide may vibrate, bounce, or bump againstthe surface of the package as it trys to maintain contact with the slightly irregular surface of the rotating package. Such vibration or bouncing of the guide causes great fluctuation in the pressure of the guide on the package, and consequently, in the tension of the strand as it winds onto the package.

If the tension in the spring 35 is too great, the dog does not move sufficiently freely within the segment in response to package growth and the guide l0 bears heavily on the surface of the package being wound. Pressure of the guide on the packa'ge'is translated into tension on the strand being wound onto the package. The package may be wound so tightlyas to cause the package to assume an undesired shape. Moreover, the strand may be unduly strained to the extent that it is damaged. Because of the construction of the dog and the segment, the dog 24 tends to grip the segment 25 when urged in a direction corresponding to movement of the guide toward the winding axis -butwhen=iurgedin the opposite direction, the dog slides readily along "segment roove with muchl'es's' friction. Grease and dirt along the en'- gaging surfaces may substantially lessen the holding power ofthe dog relativeto the'segment. An increase in the strength of'the spring 35 which is sufficient to compensate for the loss in holding eihciencyof the dog and the segment 'will also increase the friction between thesemembers when the dog is moved in the direction corresponding to movement of the guide [0 away from the winding axis; such friction results in greater pressure of the guide on the package since the guide then moves less easily in response'to the growth of the package. Increasing the pressure of the guide I '0 may be undesirable not only from the standpoint of maintaining a desired package shape but if 'fine denier yarns are being wound, the strength of the yarn may not be su'fl'icient to resist damage from the greater tension to which it is subjected.

To obtain greater pressure of the dog on the segment without an accompanying increase in the pressure of the guide on the package, a lever 40 is secured on the rod 30; the other end-portion thereof isconnected by a spring 42 to a bracket 43 which supports a conventional strand tensioning device 44. 'The lever. '40 and the spring 42 produce a twisting moment on the shaft 30 which is translated into pressure between the dog and the segment. The spring 42 also pulls in a direction which applies a twisting moment to the frame '5 about the axis of shaft 1. The moment arm of this latter twisting moment may be measured by the line A-B which extends perpendicularly fromthe spring 42 to the axis of shaft 1 at the spring 42 may be varied according to a great many combinations to obtain any twisting moment necessary to effect a desired relationship or ratio between the pressures of engagement of the dog with respect to the segment and the guide with respect to the package. By the proper selection of .a lever and a-spring analogous to lever 40 and spring 42, the force needed to move the thread guide 10 away from "the winding spindle and to rotate the framein response to package growth may be eliminated to any extent desired to accomplish the winding of very fine denier yarns such as those which ordinarily cannot be Wound on a machine of the general type herein described if it has not been improved in accordance with the invention.

If desired, the spring in conventional use for controlling dog pressure such as the spring (also the detent 35) may be eliminated from the construction of the winding machine illustrated and a lever and spring according to the invention, such as the spring 42 and the lever may be used independently of other means to control the dog pressure.

Fig. 3 illustrates the use of a lever 50 and a compression spring 5! for controlling the pressure of the dog 24 on a segment 25 in the same manner as lever 40 and the tension spring 42 of Fig. 1. The force exerted by the lever 50 and the spring 5! applies a twisting moment to the frame 5 about the axis of the shaft 1 as well as a twisting moment on the torque rod 30. The effect of these two moments is the same as produced in the machine of Fig. 1, namely to increase the pressure of the dog 24 on the segment 25 and to apply a force to the frame 5 which tends to swing it in a direction which lessens the pressure of the guide 10 on the package being wound on the machine. Guide bracket 53 is mounted on the housing 8 to support the lower end of the spring 5|, and to guide or to position a guide rod 54 which prevents the spring from buckling.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a winding machine having a winding spindle and a pivotable frame for supporting a reciprocable thread-guide in contact with the outer surface of the strand package being wound on the spindle, a friction member having an arcuate surface in substantially concentric relationship with the pivotal axis of the frame, a friction element swingably supported on the frame in contact with the arcuate surface of the member, a shaft for supporting theelement, said shaft being rotatably supported by the frame in spaced and generally parallel relationship with the axis of the frame, a lever secured to and extending radially from the shaft, spring means engaging the lever and a portion of the frame to urge the element against the member, a second lever secured to and having a portion extending away from a plane containing the axis of the element and the frame axis, and spring means extending between said portion of the second lever and a stationary portion of the machine for urging the element against the member.

2. In a machine having a spindle for winding an annular strand package, a reciprocable thread-guide in contact with a package being wound on the spindle, a pivotable frame for supporting the guide in variable spaced relationship with a spindle, a friction member secured to a stationary portion of the machine spaced from the pivotal axis of the frame, and a friction element for engaging the member, said element being swingably supported on the frame about an axis generally parallel to the frame axis; mechanism for urging-the element into engagement with the member comprising lever means fixedly connected to the element and extending in a direction projecting from said axis of the element in transverse and spaced relationship with the frame axis, and spring means in engagement with a. stationary portion of the machine, and a portion of said lever means spaced from the axis of the element, said stationary portion being disposed for action of said spring means between said portions in a direction extending in transverse and spaced relationship with said axis of the frame to thereby apply a twisting moment to the frame tending to reduce the pressure of the guide upon a package mounted on the spindle.

3. In a machine having a spindle for winding an annular strand package, a reciprocable thread-guide in contact with a package being wound on the spindle, a pivotable frame for supporting the guide in variable spaced relationship with the spindle, a friction member secured to a stationary portion of the machine spaced from the pivotal axis of the frame, and a friction element for engaging the member, said element being swingably supported on the frame about an axis generally parallel to the frame axis; mechanism for urging the element into engagement with the member comprising lever means fixedly connected to the element having a portion extending away from a plane containing said axis of the element and the frame axis, and spring means in engagement with said lever portion and a stationary portion of the machine disposed for aligning said spring means in a direction extending in transverse and spaced relationship with the frame axis whereby a twisting moment is applied to the frame tending to reduce the pressure of the guide upon a package mounted on the spindle.

4. In a, machine for winding an annular strand package having a winding spindle, a reciprocable thread-guide in contact with the package being wound on the spindle, a pivotable frame for supporting the guide in variable spaced relationship with the spindle, a friction member secured to a stationary portion of the machine spaced from the pivotal axis of the frame. and a friction element for engaging the member, said element being swingably supported on the frame about an axis generally parallel to the frame axis; mechanism for urging the element into engagement with the member comprising lever means fixedly connected to the element having a portion extending away from a plane containing said axis of the element and the axis of the frame, and spring means in engagement with said lever portion and a stationary portion of the machine, said spring means acting between said portions in a direction passing in transverse and spaced relationship with the frame axis for producing a twisting moment on the frame tending to relieve the pressure of the guide upon a package mounted on the spindle.

5. In a winding machine having a winding spindle and a pivotable frame for supporting a reciprocable thread-guide in contact with the outer surface of a strand package mounted on the spindle, a friction member supported by the machine, said member having a substantially concave arcuate working surface in approximately concentric relationship with, and facing toward, the pivotal axis of the frame, a shaft rotatably supported on the frame with its axis extending in spaced and -genemi1y:pare11e1 re! *ti'onship "with the axis of the frame ibetween the flatter 'a'iiis :aind said a'reuate we'rking surface, -'a 'frictibh element in conteetwiththe concave surdiac'e bf the member and :fixed to the shaft, the surface of said element for engaging s'a'id arcuate surface being spaced :from the shaft at :a :gr'eater distence than the shortest distance -between the "shaft and the :arcuate surface, a never seemed 'to and extending radially from th'e shaft, 1a sprin'g secured between a portion =o'f the lever and a stationary portion being disposed to eflign the spring in transverse and spaced relationship with the of the frame whereby -a twisting moment is applied to the frame to r ediice the pressure of the thread-guide up on the strand 'package moix'nted on the spindle while increasing the xii-assure of the-friction element on said arcu ate working surface.

'6. A winding madhin'e as defined in 01mm 5 "wherein the spring is :in tension.

7. Winding machine as defined in claim 5 wherein the spring is Under compression.

WILLIAM 'SHON' I Z.

References Gited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES P-A'IENTS Name Date Ca'h'ady Aug. 30, 1898 Brink- Apr. '7, 193-1 Lewis Mar. 13, 1934 Boswoith Apr. 3, 1934 Strange NOV. 5, 1940 'FQREIGN PATENTS V (iountr'y ba ite w 

